


Not Without You

by mamacyno



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Character Death, F/M, Post-Season 2, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, What-If, lyatt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mamacyno/pseuds/mamacyno
Summary: "No!" Jiya screams.The sounds of the gunshots seemed to come out of nowhere.  It happens too quickly for any of them to react, least of all Wyatt, who watches in horror as blood spatters onto Jiya's dress, and the shooter's target immediately slumps to the floor."Lucy?" Wyatt whispers...Response to fic request for alternate ending to 2x10: "What if Lucy had died instead of Rufus?"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fic request from @whale-of-a-time on Tumblr: "What if Lucy had died instead of Rufus?"
> 
> I apologize in advance to my fellow Lyatt shippers. I cried writing this. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Timeless characters own my shipper heart, but I have no claim to them.

"No!" Jiya screams. 

The sounds of the gunshots seemed to come out of nowhere.  It happens too quickly for any of them to react, least of all Wyatt, who watches in horror as blood spatters onto Jiya's dress, and the shooter's target immediately slumps to the floor. 

"Lucy?" Wyatt whispers, hoping against hope that by some miracle it was a graze or a through-and-through.  But her gasps for air, her hand at her chest becoming redder by the second confirms his fear. 

Her panicked eyes quickly find his.  She can't speak, but her eyes, her beautiful caramel brown eyes, are desperately trying to convey some message to him. 

"Damn it. No.  No!" he yells rushing to her side, applying pressure to the wound.  "Lucy, stay with me, babydoll, please," he begs. 

In his peripheral vision, he senses movement behind him.  It's Flynn.  His right arm is limp indicating he took a bullet as well, but he's moving.  He picks up the gun he had dropped with his left hand and struggles to stand up to chase after Emma. 

"Flynn, stop!" orders Rufus.  "Let her go.  Lucy needs us here," he pleads, remembering Lucy's speech to them from just a few minutes ago: _None_ _of us have anything anymore_ _except for each other._   If those are, in fact, to be her last words to them, Rufus knows that she would want them to be here together for the final goodbye.  Rufus runs his hand over his face in disbelief that all this time, he wallowed in self-pity preparing himself for death, and somehow Lucy, the glue that has held this team together is the one they are about to lose. 

Flynn, who is still on the floor after being shot, lays the gun back down and crawls over to sit beside Jiya who is holding Lucy's blood-covered hand that no longer has the strength to remain against her chest.  The painful fruitless attempts for air have slowed to practically nothing as she takes her final breaths. 

Wyatt places his hands on either side of Lucy's face which is now pale.  "No," he sobs.  "Don't leave me.  Please, Lucy.  I need you."  He places his forehead against hers, praying to God, the Force, anyone who will listen to let him feel her breath again on his face.  But his prayers are answered by no one.   

She's gone. 

*********** 

The team remains where they are, huddled outside the back door of the saloon for what feels like hours to Wyatt, but in reality is probably much less.  True to the rough and tumble reputation of the Wild Wild West, hardly anyone who passes by pays them much mind.  They all seem to be immune to the occasional shootout and the possible deadly aftermath in the streets of 1888 San Francisco. 

Eventually Wyatt feels Jiya's hand on his shoulder.  He's still cradling Lucy's body.  He had closed her eyes shortly after she passed, and she now looks like she's sleeping in his arms.  He looks up and sees Rufus and Jiya before him, but Flynn is no longer in the immediate vicinity. 

"Wyatt, we should go," Jiya suggests gently. 

"I'm not leaving her here," he replies adamantly. 

Rufus nods empathetically.  He doesn't want to leave his friend here alone in the past either.  "We'll take her with us... back to the Lifeboat," he assures him.   

"Where's Flynn?" Wyatt asks still not wanting to move.  Selfishly he hopes that by delaying any forward momentum in this timeline, he can stop time or maybe even reverse it. 

"He went to try and track down Emma... and Jessica," Rufus explains hesitating before finishing the sentence.  "He knew it was a long shot, but he felt the need to do something.  We agreed to meet back at the Lifeboat." 

The mention of his wife's name feels like a shower of glass shards onto his already broken heart.  _This is_ _my fault_ , he chastises himself.  The weight of his guilt holds him to the ground like lead, and he welcomes it.  He would stay in this spot forever beside his beloved until he died, because that's what he deserves. 

This time it's Rufus' hand that touches Wyatt's shoulder.  "C'mon, man.  We need to get back home.  Let me help you up," he offers. 

Wyatt shakes his head.  "No.  I've got her," he says as he crouches to get his feet under him and scoops her up in a bridal carry.  Jiya reacts quickly to catch Lucy's head from drooping in the wrong direction and gently lays her head against Wyatt's chest.  Wyatt leans his head down to the crown of Lucy's head, inhaling her scent and wiping his tears in her hair.  Rufus and Jiya lead the way back to the Lifeboat, and Wyatt follows a few steps behind. 

Holding her like this, he is immediately reminded of the last time she was cradled in his arms.  They were standing on the edge of Hedy's pool in 1941.  He remembers how they laughed and teased each other like they were the only people in the world that night.  They couldn't resist kissing each other, because it just felt so right.  Painfully he recalls that in that moment, he could already envision holding her like that again as they cross the threshold of their honeymoon suite.  Then and there, he knew that was the future he wanted, but less than a day later, that future was erased by a ghost from the past. 

The trio walks in silence farther away from the town toward the California coastline where the Lifeboat is hidden.  In the darkness, they can hear the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocky cliffs.  They arrive at the timeship and find Flynn standing looking out over the water below him.  Under the waning moon above, the ocean is barely visible, but they know he's not standing there for the view.  He turns toward them as they approach and walks over to meet them closer to the ship.  As he gets closer, he looks at Wyatt silently requesting permission to say his goodbye to the woman in his arms.  Wyatt nods, and Flynn places a gentle hand over Lucy's head.  He leans down to kiss the top of her hair, fighting back his tears.  He gives Wyatt a look of appreciation and sympathy. 

"I can stay behind and wait for the second trip, if you want to bring her back home first," he offers. 

Wyatt swallows hard and shakes his head.  "Thank you, but no.  You go ahead with Rufus and Jiya.  I'll stay here with Lucy and wait," he tells them in a tone that indicates to everyone that his decision is final.  Wyatt walks past the group closer to the cliff where Flynn was standing previously. 

"I'll be back for you as soon as the Lifeboat battery is charged," Rufus calls out to Wyatt's retreating figure certain that the man isn't listening any longer. 

Holding Lucy tightly to his chest, Wyatt settles to the ground and holds her in his lap.  He has no recall for how long he was carrying her, nor does he care.  His entire body is so numb from grief, that if his arms are sore from her weight, he doesn't notice.   

Behind him he hears the familiar sonic pop as the Lifeboat disappears into time and space.   

He moves a hand to caress her cheek.  Her skin is unsettlingly cool now from the night air and... 

He breaks down unable to finish the thought.  He wails in pain and grief and guilt.  His cries are drowned out by the sound of the surf below him, and for a brief moment, he considers ending it all right then and there. 

"Lucy, I can't do this," he apologizes.  "I can't do this alone – not without you.  I know I'm being selfish. I abandoned you when Jessica came back, and even though I hurt you in ways I can't imagine, you kept fighting for the mission. You didn't run away, because there was still work to be done, wrongs to put right.  But I don't know if I can do the same.  You're so much stronger than me," Wyatt laments, dropping his head down in shame. 

"You and I were on the verge of having it all," he continues recalling their one perfect night together. "The possibilities were laid out endlessly before us, and I screwed up everything.  When you kept saying that I was happily married, you were giving me another chance to make a choice – the right choice, for the future I wanted, but I was too much of a coward."   

Over his shoulder the sun begins to rise casting light on the horizon indicating the dawn of a new day.  But it's a day that Lucy will not see, and that fact is like a dagger driven deeper into Wyatt's heart. 

"I deserve this pain and heartache, Lucy, but you... You deserved nothing less than to be happy.  It should be me lying dead in the past.  The world doesn't need me, but you, Lucy Preston, you’re a hero.  You're the most selfless giving person to walk this earth, and it's my fault that you're no longer able to do that." 

Wyatt pulls her body closer to him. He presses his lips to her hair which is now damp from his tears.   

"I love you, Lucy.  I will always love you, and I'll never forgive myself for failing you."   

******* 

Back in 2018, Rufus gently wakes Jiya who has spent the past six hours while the Lifeboat charges in a trance.  In her mind, she has been darting all over time and space trying to find the slightest trace of Lucy's existence, but the attempts are futile. 

"Hey," Rufus whispers grabbing her hand.  "Lifeboat's charged enough to get us back to 1888." 

Jiya nods and sits up to embrace Rufus.  With a regretful sigh, she moves to stand when suddenly, they both hear a "pop" followed by a "clank" of metal against metal.  They look at each other to confirm that they both heard the same thing, but the sounds of the others in the bunker running in the halls answers the question for them. 

Rufus and Jiya join Flynn, Connor and Agent Christopher near the base of the silo, where there are now clearly two Lifeboats sitting side-by-side.  Flynn and Agent Christopher have their handguns traced on the new Lifeboat's hatch, which is still closed. 

"What the hell?" Rufus asks. 

"Oh, my God, what is that?" Agent Christopher exclaims. 

"Is this another Lifeboat?" Flynn questions 

"It looks upgraded," Jiya surmises 

Shocked, they watch as the hatch opens, and two figures emerge.  Jiya feels lightheaded when she recognizes herself and Rufus stepping out onto the large gears of the ship. 

"It's not game over, yet," Future Jiya tells the group. 

"Not by a long shot," Future Rufus adds.  "Let's go get our historian back." 

 


	2. Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future Riya and Agent Christopher travel to 1888 to save Lucy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't originally planned to write this chapter, but VicesVsVirtues requested it, and I couldn't resist.

“How… How is this possible?” Connor asks their visitors as they descend the metal staircase that Flynn has moved from the much older Lifeboat to the newer one.

“You made it possible,” Future Rufus replies to his mentor.  “Well with some help from me, and a lot of help from Jiya,” he adds gesturing toward both Jiya’s with two hands.

“OK, but how –“ Connor begins to ask again before Agent Christopher cuts him off.

“We’ll talk about the how later, Connor.  We need to first focus on the who,” she tells him firmly.  Addressing the new arrivals, she asks skeptically, “How can we be sure you’re… them?” indicating the Rufus and Jiya who remain standing behind having not moved an inch since the hatch door opened.

“Easy,” Future Jiya answers.  “Ask them.”

Present-day Rufus and Jiya look at each other and then their alleged future counterparts, both invoking the logic that they would use with any science problem.  They can’t deny that they look, move and talk like them.  Assuming they’re older than they are today, the difference in age is almost imperceptible which suggests that the difference must be small.  Three? Maybe four years at the most.

Failing to think of any other way to quickly ascertain that it’s him, Rufus prepares to ask his future self a question.  “What was - ?”

“Third grade science fair.  LEGO robot that could shoot free throws inside of a shoebox-sized court using beads and a thimble from mom’s sewing room,” Future Rufus responded.

Stunned, Rufus asks, “How did you…?”

Everyone, except the visitors from the future, is surprised when it’s Present-Day Jiya who answers.  “He knew what you were going to ask, because he was you when you asked the question the first time.”

Agent Christopher shakes her head in disbelief and mild pain, but quickly regains her composure. “OK, we’ve settled the who, let’s talk about the what.  What do we need to do to save Lucy?”

“It’s simple really,” Future Rufus replies.  “We have to travel back to 1888 San Francisco and stop Emma from shooting Lucy.”

Future Jiya interjects, “Well, it’s slightly more difficult than that.  Rufus – this Rufus and I can pilot the Lifeboat back to 1888, but we can’t be the ones to stop Emma.  The team that is there in the past isn’t aware that time travel within your lifetime is possible, yet, and right before a shootout in the street is not the best time to spring it on them.  So, the only ones who can go back with us to actually stop the shooting are Connor or Agent Christopher.”

“And no offense, Connor,” Rufus adds, “but stopping a lethal Rittenhouse agent is more in Agent Christopher’s wheelhouse than your’s.”

“Okay, then,” Agent Christopher says without hesitation.  “Let’s see how I take to time travel.”

******

Not wanting to waste any time when they arrive to secure appropriate clothes for Agent Christopher, she quickly changes into the dress that Jiya wore earlier that day.  It doesn’t quite fit in all the right places, but with any luck, she won’t be seen by anyone other than the team.  With nowhere to hold her firearm, they fashion a makeshift pouch out of one of the dark-colored misshapen hand-knitted scarves lying around the bunker.

Agent Christopher steps into the upgraded Lifeboat and takes a seat, working hard to suppress any display of nerves that she is feeling.  Future Jiya assists her with the seat belts and gives her an encouraging smile. 

“I wish I could say our upgrades make the ride as smooth as the Mothership, but I’m afraid it’s still quite bumpy.  It will be quick though,” she promises the agent.

The team in the bunker wishes them luck and individually recite silent prayers or positive thoughts as the hatch door closes and the Lifeboat disappears.

Less than a minute later, the Lifeboat lands near the California coastline next to the other Lifeboat.  Rufus turns in his seat to check on Agent Christopher who still has her eyes closed tightly.  Her lips are moving as if reciting some type of mantra.  “We’re here,” he says gently.

Agent Christopher opens one eye and peers at Rufus as if testing to make sure that all of her senses are still intact.  Slowly she opens the other eye and looks across the way at Jiya.

“How are you feeling?” Jiya asks tentatively.

“Not as bad as I anticipated actually,” she replies honestly.  “When did we arrive?  How much longer until Lucy is shot?” she asks immediately focusing on the mission.

Rufus looks at one of the monitors to confirm the local time.  “We have about an hour, so you need to get going.  We can walk with you to the edge of town and direct you from there.  As soon as you’ve taken care of Emma, you need to get the team – the entire team, back here immediately.  It may be safe for Jiya and me to travel back to a place we already existed, but we don’t know the full limits, and I’d rather not push our luck,” he explains nervously.

Agent Christopher nods, ready to do as she’s told and hoping that the plan works to avoid having her bunker kids go through the heartbreak of loss once again.

******

Upon entering the town on her own, Agent Christopher quickly locates the street that the back door of the saloon exits into.  Rufus and Jiya were not completely sure where Emma was standing when she took the shot, but they are able to describe the general direction.  Nervous that she only has one chance to save the team, Agent Christopher stays hidden in the shadows with her head on swivel as she scans the street, the saloon’s door and the surrounding buildings. 

She hears the hurried scuffle of shoes on the dirt a few feet from where she’s standing.  A blur of red hair and emerald green silk hurries past her and quickly takes cover diagonally across from the back door of the saloon.  Emma is hidden too well in the shadows for Agent Christopher to get a clean shot.  Unwilling to reveal her position, she decides to wait until the assassin makes her move, hoping she’s quick enough to react and stop her.

With her gun aimed in Emma’s direction, Agent Christopher hears the back door of the saloon swing open, but she resists the temptation to look in that direction so that she can take the shot as soon as Emma moves into the light.  As Emma makes her move, Agent Christopher decides to increase the odds for the team’s survival and yells, “Lucy!  Rufus!  Watch out!”

The warning does its job distracting Emma who redirects her gun and aims toward the dark corner where the disembodied voice came from.  Confident that she’s well-hidden, Agent Christopher fires three shots at Emma, who ducks and retreats backwards into the darkness.  Agent Christopher remains crouched low but moves from her hiding spot to give chase.  She nearly collides with Flynn and Wyatt who had the same idea.  The duo trains their guns immediately on this new player only to find that it’s their fearless leader.

“Agent Christopher?” Wyatt questions while she continues to scan the area for any sign of Emma or another Rittenhouse agent.  Convinced the threat is over, she lowers her gun and nods.  Without a word, she immediately heads toward the saloon and sighs in relief when she sees the rest of the team unharmed.  She pulls a surprised Lucy into an embrace, then reaches out to include Jiya and Rufus, who are equally dumbfounded, in the group hug.  Flynn and Wyatt rejoin the others, still thoroughly confused at how Agent Christopher managed to travel to 1888 without a time ship.

“At least I’m not the only one who doesn’t get a hug this time,” Flynn sneers looking at Wyatt.

Wyatt glares at him but chooses to not give the man the satisfaction of a response.

“I still don’t understand how you got here,” Wyatt begins, “but the odds are in our favor now, so I say the three of us go track down Emma and Jessica.”

“Wyatt, no,” Agent Christopher orders him. “We’ll find them eventually, but right now, it’s important that we get back to the Lifeboat to rejoin the others as soon as possible.”

“Others?” Rufus asks

“Yes, I’ll explain on the way,” she replies.  “Hurry.  We need to go.”

******

As the team walks briskly back to the landing site, Agent Christopher describes how a second Lifeboat appeared back in 2018 upon the team’s return from San Francisco.  As she begins her story, she realizes that she isn’t sure whether she should tell the team about the original outcome of the trip, so she decides to play it safe and remains vague on the details.  Instead she focuses the story on Future Jiya and Future Rufus’ arrival and the plan to take the second Lifeboat to this time period to help out the team.

When the group arrives at the landing site, everyone except Agent Christopher, becomes frozen to their spots upon seeing the two Lifeboats side-by-side.  They only start moving forward again, albeit much slower, when Future Rufus and Jiya step out to greet them.

“How… How is this possible?” Rufus asks slowly.

Not wanting to go down this rabbit hole again, Agent Christopher speaks up, “We’ll talk about it later when we get home.  Let’s just get out of here please.”

Recognizing her words as an order, everyone moves to board their respective Lifeboat with the other team temporarily forgetting that they have one passenger too many.

“Wyatt!” yells Future Rufus.  “We saved you a seat in our ship.”

Wyatt hesitates and considers suggesting Flynn ride with them instead, but not wanting to seem petty, he dismisses the idea and heads toward the newer ship.

Future Jiya goes over the details of the landing plans for the two ships with the other (Past? Present?) Jiya so that the pilots don’t accidentally cause a collision in their haste to return to 2018.  Once everything is settled, the older Lifeboat disappears into the fabric of space and time first.  The upgraded Lifeboat follows suit minutes later.

Upon arriving in the bunker, Wyatt stands up to open the hatch. 

“Hey, Wyatt,” Future Rufus calls out, “do you mind hanging back for a minute?” 

Surprised by the request, Wyatt nods and moves aside so that Agent Christopher can exit.  Wyatt reclaims his seat and looks expectantly at Rufus and Jiya.

Knowing they can’t delay rejoining the others for too long, Rufus quickly lays the cards out on the table.  “Wyatt, you need to know something.  The reason Jiya and I came back to help you guys out is because in the original timeline, Lucy died.”

Wyatt looks at them in shock and disbelief, hoping that this is their idea of some sick joke to get back at him for some prank he’s done in the past or in the future, but the look in their eyes tell him that they are telling the truth.

“How?” Wyatt asks his voice cracking.

“Emma,” Jiya answers.  “In the original timeline, Emma was waiting for us and ambushed us as soon as we exited the saloon.  Lucy was shot in the chest and died… in your arms,” she adds.

Wyatt closes his eyes in horror, but safe in the knowledge that history has been changed for the better, he opens them and regards Rufus and Jiya with heartfelt gratitude for the sacrifice they made to save Lucy.

“Thank you,” he tells them. “Thank you for saving her.”  Suddenly a question crosses Wyatt’s mind, and he immediately voices it.  “But why are you telling me this?  Why not Lucy or the others who you came back to help?”

Rufus looks at Wyatt head on and bites his lip briefly as he recalls the grief the Wyatt he knew lived with for years.  “We needed to tell you, because Lucy’s death destroyed you.  Believe me, we were all devastated when we lost her, but you… You practically died with her that day.”

Wyatt squints his eyes at his friend and regards him quizzically.  He’s not surprised that Lucy’s death would have crushed him, but he’s known grief before.  Hell, he lived it for six years after his wife died, and although he greeted each morning for years with indifference, he still functioned until eventually he was at least capable of going through the motions.

“You don’t believe us,” Jiya observes.

“No, I do,” Wyatt insists not wanting to hurt her feelings.  “It’s just...”

“You love her,” Rufus tells him unwilling to mince words. “You love her now, but you never told her.  And when she died, you regretted the fact that she never heard you say it.  In fact, the first time you said it to her was when you were sitting on that cliff back in 1888 holding her body in your arms.”

The image of such a scene struck a chord deep within Wyatt.  It was if he could not only see himself sitting in the grass overlooking the dark ocean below with Lucy in his arms, but he could almost feel the dewy grass beneath him, hear the waves crash against the rocks below and feel the weight of her body held against his chest.  It almost felt like a memory or a dream that was too real.

“Listen, man,” Rufus continues seeing the anxious faces peering into their Lifeboat in the distance.  “It’s up to you what you do with this information, but we thought you needed to know.  You have a lot to deal with right now with Jessica, but we care about you and Lucy.  You’re our family, and we would never forgive ourselves if we didn’t tell you.”

Rufus stands and places a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder as he exits the Lifeboat.  Jiya does the same on her way out as well.  Wyatt, however, remains where he is staring at floor of the Lifeboat, struggling to differentiate dream from memory and memory from reality.  He closes his eyes suddenly unable to see definitive lines between the past, the present and the future, but the one constant he knows that exists across all three is that he loves Lucy Preston.

“Hey.”

A familiar voice and hand on his shoulder brings him back to the present.  He opens his eyes and looks into the warm brown eyes that have a way of keeping him grounded, tethering him to reality – to hope.

A smile slowly breaks across his face, and her initial expression of concern soon reflects a smile in return.

“Hey, yourself,” he replies.

“Why don’t you come down and join us?” she asks gently.

Wyatt shakes his head remembering that they wouldn’t have had to even travel to 1888 in the first place if it wasn’t for his mistakes.  “Lucy, all of this was my fault.  I don’t –“

“Wyatt,” she interrupts him.  “Yes, you made some errors in judgment, but nothing happened that can’t be forgiven.  Jiya’s home safe.  Rufus is alive.  We – the team - is back together safe and unharmed.  It’s a good day.  So, come, be with us.  Please?”

He lets out a small chuckle.  “I don’t think I can ever say no to you, ma’am.”

Lucy smiles back at him a little surprised by his response but decides to let it go as she steps out of the Lifeboat.  Wyatt follows behind her and is welcomed by his team, his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like the happy ending! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I had a whole other Lyatt fic planned for this weekend, but I got this request, and I had to get it out of my system. I PROMISE the next one will be happy and fluffy, and with any luck, it will be out before the weekend is over. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Side note - I am proud to say that I actually looked up what moon phase was happening on August 26, 1888. (It was Waning Gibbous.) I listened to a podcast from Neil deGrasse Tyson who complained about how James Cameron failed to research the proper night sky for Titanic. That stuck with me for some reason.


End file.
